A Wolf In the Family Revisited
by Patient Heart
Summary: A new family member is always welcome...or are they?
1. Prologue

_A press conference. A large room filled with reporters, cameras and flashing bulbs. A small white wolfwalks across the stage to the podium, adjusts her glasses, andbegins to speak. _

_"I've been asked to read a short statement. 'As you know, Iamnot the creator of the Care Bears. Patient Heart Wolf here is my only creation, so if you could find it in your heart not to sue a very broke 25 year old, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.' And now, if there are no questions, on with the story."_

Wolf in the Family

Prologue

Squinting against the incessant onslaught of snowflakes blurring his vision, Beastly pumped as hard as he could on the pedals of his helicopter. The impish little henchman was on a mission, and as far as he was concerned, the sooner he completed it, the better. _I'd better be off castle cleaning duty for at least a week after this._ He thought.

With one arm keeping his aircraft steady against the supernatural gusts of wind, he fished his binoculars out from his cluttered sidecar and searched the ground below. He still couldn't believe what he was looking for. "A bunch of pure white wolves in the middle of a snowstorm? I swear, if he hadn't been so excited about it, I'd think No Heart was just trying to get rid of me!" he whined.As another hour passed finding nothing but pine trees and snowdrifts, he felt more and more sure of that. Beastly searched and searched, intent on finding some evidence of wolves that would be his ticket out of the blizzard. He looked so hard, in fact, that he didn't notice the ground getting closer and closer…

Nearby, a small pack of wolves marched through the frozen forest. All of a sudden, the leader stopped in his tracks.

"What is it, Kuma?" asked his mate.

"Did you hear something just now?" Kuma asked, looking around suspiciously. "It sounded like a crash of some sort."

"Probably just the trees. Between the cold and the wind, I'm surprised we haven't heard it more."

"I don't know, Nika." Kuma said, a cautious tone in his voice. "It didn't sound like any tree I've ever heard. But you're right; it's probably nothing. Let's keep going."

They soon came to the edge of the forest, where an old wooden fence marked off a large patch of flat, treeless land. Now every wolf knows that fences mean humans, and that humans usually mean trouble. However, this human seemed to know Kuma's pack could not find winter shelter, and they had rarely found food for themselves. In a move the wolves found incredibly uncharacteristic of a human, the farmer had been leaving several bowls of food in one of the empty barns. Under the circumstances, Kuma and the others had no choice but to take a chance on him.

Kuma was the first to speak upon reaching the fence itself. "It's a good thing this human has no animals, or he most certainly wouldn't let us in here, much less feed us."

"Oh, you worry too much, Kuma!" Nika chuckled. You've gotta be patient with the humans. Some are bad, yes. But some, as you can see—she nodded toward the brightly lit farmhouse—aren't so bad at all."

Kuma laughed. "I tell you, where did I ever find such an easygoing mate?"

As they crossed the fence, Nika was the first to notice what had caused the noise earlier—a strange new machine sat in the middle of the human's yard. Nose in the snow and crumpled like an accordion, it looked so damaged that it seemed to have fallen out of the sky! A small brown creature stumbled from the wreckage up to the front door. Behind him were several darker creatures that Nika could swear were floating above the ground. As the farmer opened the door, the darker creatures swarmed him, knocking him to the ground.

"Did you see that?" Yelled Nika. "Those things just attacked the human!"

"Now who's seeing things?" asked Kuma, turning toward his mate. However, she was already bolting through the snow toward the farmhouse. "Nika, come back!" Kuma called in a panic. "Just because he feeds us doesn't mean he wants us up—"

"He takes care of us, we take care of him!" Nika called back.

"Darn!" Kuma cursed, running after Nika. "How can a wolf be so easygoing, and so impetuous at the same time!"

Nika was already halfway to the front door when it swung open again. Out came the farmer, with the long straight stick that was the human's answer to not having teeth and claws.

"Whew," Nika said to herself. "I thought those things had him. I'm glad he's not—"

"Move it, Nika!" yelled Kuma, knocking her aside just as a flash and a bark came from the end of the farmer's stick.

"Woah!" yelled Nika, picking herself up off the ground. "I guess you're right. We have overstayed our welcome, I guess! Come on, Kuma, before we're—"

Looking back to where she had been standing a second earlier, there lay Kuma, in a growing patch of red snow.


	2. Dinner and a Newbie

Chapter One: Dinner and a Newbie

It was a beautiful but cold winter's night high up in the white clouds of Care-a-Lot. This is where a group of animals called the Care Bear Family lives, plays, and watches the people of Earth to make sure everyone gets along. It was nearing Christmas, a time of great love and caring anyway, so naturally business was rather slow as far as the Care Bears were concerned. However, this didn't mean they weren't taking full advantage of the free time. Every once in awhile, one or two of them would dart from building to building, holding wrapping paper or some sort of hidden package, hoping to spend as little time as possible exposed not only to the cold, but to prying eyes. Most were in the Hall of Hearts, attempting to enjoy dinner while enduring another one of Tenderheart Bear's never-ending caring mission seminars. Everyone had something going on, even a certain bear and rabbit, who simply sought the warmth of each other's company.

"Dinner is served, Lady Swift Heart."

Grumpy Bear entered the room with as much pompousness as he could muster, holding both his nose and a huge bowl of food high in the air.

Swift Heart Rabbit stared at her fiancé, pleasantly shocked at how well he shined up. "A full tuxedo, too? I'm beginning to think getting snowed out of our date on Earth wasn't such a bad thing." She stifled a giggle as he fidgeted, obviously uncomfortable in the outfit.

"I don't know how humans do it." Grumpy grumbled. I borrowed this from Stellar Heart, and it's every bit as itchy as he said it is!

"Well, don't think I'm not grateful to him." Replied Swift Heart, kissing her beau. "Or to you, 'Grumpykins.'"

Grumpy swooned. He still got that first kiss euphoria whenever Swift Heart so much as gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So, um, ahem, milady," Said Grumpy, struggling to return to the waiter routine in spite of his flushed face, "have you decided on your entertainment for the evening?

"Indeed I have." While Grumpy spooned their dinner into bowls on the coffee table, Swift Heart pulled a video from her bag. "It's romance night in the Grumpy-Swift Heart house. And don't you give me that puppy-dog pout, you said any movie I wanted!"

While Grumpy put the video in the player, Swift Heart stared thoughtfully at her fiancé. She thought about how lucky she was to have seen through Grumpy's perpetually bad mood and found the thoughtful, loving bear underneath. More and more, the others were noticing how much more pleasant he was when she was around.

"Hello? Swift Heart? Sweetie? Care-a-Lot to Swift Heart!"

"Hmm? What?" Swift Heart snapped back to reality.

"I'd give anything to know what you were thinking about. I think that's the first time anyone's made goo-goo eyes like that at little ol' me."

Swift Heart was quick to reply. "I was thinking about what my uncle the White Rabbit said when he described how you look in the morning." She said in a deadpan tone. "Now get over here, smarty-pants!

"Right away, Bosslady!" Grumpy held the remote to his brow in a mock salute. After Grumpy settled down on the couch, Swift Heart snuggled up next to him and grabbed the remote. As she was pointing it though, an eruption of sound that would have put a car alarm to shame came from a tiny heart-shaped device on top of the television. Startled, Swift Heart dropped the remote, wondering if she had somehow turned on some hidden police siren.

"Don't worry," Grumpy said, trying desperately to hide his laughter. "It's only a mini-caring meter Bright Heart and I've been working on. Now for the next part. 3…2…1…Bingo!"

At "Bingo", the phone rang, as if on cue.

"Clever." Muttered Swift Heart, her heart still pounding, and her neck fur still standing straight up.

Grumpy picked up the phone, still smiling to the less-than-amused Swift Heart. "Grumpy here…Bedtime Bear, unless No-Heart has taken over the Hall of Hearts, can't it wait? Swift Heart and I were just about to have—What? No kidding? Well, I guess that's different. No, I guess she won't mind. Bye." Putting down the receiver, he turned toward his fiancé, who now had a look of disappointment and confusion on her face. "I'm sorry, Swift Heart," he grumbled, holding and kissing her before heading for the door. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Grumpy was still grumbling as he approached the runway. "That bear must have the worst timing in all of Care-a-Lot. And why did he insist that Swift Heart couldn't come?"

His answer came in the form of a blue dog sitting ramrod straight in the driver's seat of a nearby cloud car.

"Greetings, Grumpy! How did the 'pout' work on Swift Heart?"

"She saw right through it, Loyal Heart." Grumpy sighed. _Why him and not Swift Heart?_

The white wolf stopped to catch her breath. _He can't be dead_, she thought. Her thoughts switched to the farmer. _That human was different. I know he was. He wouldn't do that to us normally._

A battle raged in Nika's mind between the natural rage at watching her mate fall and her own natural need to forgive the human she had come to trust. She forced herself to remember the night when she alone came to that same old wooden fence for the first time, and had seen the human sitting on the front porch. Upon making eye contact, the human stood up. Nika's instinct had been to run, but she was more than surprised when he went inside and returned with a bowl of food, which he laid down in the grass several yards from the porch. She was even more surprised when she returned to the house with her pack, only to find several more bowls waiting for them. But her surprise was nothing to Kuma's, who had been less than happy about visiting "what was obviously a human trap". Now, as if fate were mocking her trust, the human had killed her mate, the one whom she had been trying so hard to convince that humans weren't all bad.

A shot rang out, and splinters flew from a nearby tree, snapping Nika out of her moment of mourning and self-pity. Instinct and adrenaline taking over, she broke into a sprint once again.

"You stay away from here, you filthy wolf!" she heard the human cry.

Even in a panic, the words still reached her heart, and broke it.

Finding the huge base of an uprooted tree, she hopped in the crater and hid in the shadows. She felt absolutely miserable. She had lost everything in one evening, and since she was hiding, she couldn't even howl to mourn the losses. Suddenly she remembered something her father had told her once, a bedtime story about a star she could sing to when the moon didn't want to help. She had kept track of that star all her life, and she knew exactly where it was tonight. Tonight, she had only one silent request.

_Help me. _

The star seemed to glow brighter for a second, then faded back to normal. As it did though, Nika herself started to glow. She could feel herself changing—her snout became shorter, her front paws became more like hands, and she wasn't her lean self anymore. _I look like a stuffed animal!_ She thought. _How on Earth is this gonna help me? _

It was at that moment that a small white cloud descended from the sky. As if a small puffy white cloud moving in a downward spiral in the middle of a snowstorm wasn't weird enough, this one had pink wheels and headlights. And to top it all off, once it touched down, there were animals inside it! One looked like a bit like a wolf, except its ears drooped on either side of its head. The other was a bear, or at least a very small version of one, in a fancy black and white human costume.

"Get in!" The bear pleaded. Deciding that anything was better than getting shot at, she didn't protest as the bear rather harshly pulled her into the cloud. As the cloud ascended, she looked out over the forest. She could see the human following her tracks. As she watched him, she realized she felt no anger toward him. All she felt towards him was sorrow and pity. Her anger was reserved for the monsters that had changed him.

_Whoever did this, I'll get them back for you, and my pack. I promise._

"Umm, thank you for rescuing me." Said Nika to the pair up front. Realizing what had just come out of her mouth, she covered her mouth in shock.

"Always a pleasure to help a member of the family." The bear replied. "And yes, you can speak the human's language now."

It was the floppy-eared wolf's turn to speak. "I'm Loyal Heart Dog, and my rather blunt friend here—he took one paw off the wheel to nudge him—is Grumpy Bear."

"Pleased to meet ya." Nika replied. _Dog, hmm? So that's what floppy-eared wolves are called._

"So what's your name? I've never seen an all-white Cousin before."

"My name is Nika," She replied. "But why do you keep calling me your cousin?"

"Oh, I apologize, Nika," Grumpy began, "We'll get into the details once we're home, but here's the basic situation. That star you wished on tonight? That's the Great Wishing Star. It's what made me, Loyal Heart here, and all the other Care Bears and Cousins that you're about to meet. Looks like he chose you to be our newest cousin."

"Our job as Care Bears and Cousins is to help people to share their feelings, be happy, and pretty much get along with each other." Loyal Heart added. "It's the best job anyone could ask for. You'll see once we reach our home, Care-a-Lot. Oh, what do you know? We're here!"

Nika looked, but couldn't bring herself to trust her own eyes. Here in front of her, an entire human city sat on top of a cloud. Heart-shaped buildings were everywhere, and rainbows connected one cloud to another. All throughout, multicolored animals moved about. Blue ones. Green ones. Yellow ones. _Now I know why seeing in color comes with the package._

As they landed, Nika could see that all the animals seemed to be herding toward the largest building. Loyal Heart, Grumpy and Nika followed the trail of animals to the massive front door, which of course was shaped like a giant heart.

Taking Nika's paw, Loyal Heart gestured toward the door.

"Welcome home, Nika." He said.


	3. A Very Patient Individual

Chapter 2: A Very Patient Individual

"Can I get you some more hot chocolate?" Loyal Heart asked. He tried valiantly to act smooth, but his shaky voice and set-back ears betrayed his nervousness.

"No thank you, I'm okay for now." Nika spoke through her mug. "You might want to go back to the others, though. Looks like they're waiting for you."

Returning to the discussion, Love a Lot Bear was the first to speak. "You know Loyal Heart, that's the third time in less than an hour you've gone over to ask how she's doing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you had reasons other than filling her cocoa mug."

"Come on, Love a Lot." Said Loyal Heart, his nervousness returning. She's had a rough night, and I'm just trying to make her feel at home."

"I guess that would explain why your ears are so far back I can barely see them. Face it Loyal Heart, she makes you nervous because you like her!"

"Like her? She's been her less than an hour! I don't even know her!"

"Sometimes you don't need to know someone to like them." Love a Lot replied with a smug little grin. "Isn't that what they call 'puppy love?'"

Nika sipped at her hot chocolate and watched the discussion from afar. Every once in awhile one of them—there must have been 30 total—would look up at her, smile excitedly, and return to the conversation. She, meanwhile, was sitting at the other end of the table, quietly going over her very eventful night. _In the course of an evening_, she said to herself, _I've lost my entire family, and I've lost the only human that was ever friendly to us. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, a couple of complete strangers comes down from the sky and invites me into their family! I'd swear this is a dream, but I've been pinching myself all night, and haven't woken up yet._

Looking away from the group, she noticed two smaller bears staring at her in awe. Upon making eye contact with Nika, the pink one hid behind her blue brother. It was the blue one that finally spoke. "My sister Hugs says you're one of No Heart's monsters." The little bear started, neglecting a greeting altogether. I said she was being silly, 'cause you look like us. So, which are you?"

"Well," Nika answered softly, "I'd have to say that I'm neither at the moment. But like you said, I look like you, so maybe I'm supposed to be one of you. Besides, this 'No Heart' person certainly doesn't seem like a very good person to be friends with. And last I checked, I wasn't a monster." _Especially now that I look like a teddy bear._ She added, giggling at her own joke.

"See Hugs? I told ya she wasn't a monster!" The blue bear announced triumphantly.

"I didn't know, Tugs!" Said Hugs, coming out from behind her brother. She is a stranger, and she doesn't even have a tummy symbol."

"Well, Hugs," said Nika, maybe I'll get one of those pretty pictures on my tummy after the others are done talking."

"Alright, my little darlings, stop interrogating our guest." Nika looked up from the little bears to see a pale purple bear, much older than the ones across the table, round up her two charges. The purple bear looked up at Nika. "You'll have to forgive Baby Hugs and Tugs. They're quite the inquisitive pair."

"Nothing to forgive." Nika replied. "How does a cub learn if he doesn't ask questions?"

Tugs looked up at the older bear. "We just wanted to see if she was a new member of the family or not, Grams Bear."

"Well, that's for the others to decide." Said Grams Bear, looking over at the far end of the table. "But if she's as patient with everyone else as she is with you, I don't see any problem."

The congregation at the far end of the table broke up a few minutes later, and each bear or cousin returned to his or her assigned seat. A purple horse stood at the head of the table and motioned for Nika to come forward.

"Each of us, before we became who we are, suffered the loss of their loved one, or loved ones." The horse began. "This poor wolf suffered no less, having lost both her family, and a human that she had come to trust like family. However, with the help of the Great Wishing Star, not only has she been brought to us, but has also been given the same gift that each of us now holds so dear."

The horse then turned to Nika. "Nika, we offer our deepest condolences for the loss of your family. A pain like that, unfortunately, never goes away. Like I said before, every one of us is under similar circumstances. However, we've discussed it, and we'd like to offer you our little family. It doesn't compare to the original, but we love, support, and care for one another just the same. We really hope you'll consider it."

Nika looked from the horse to the other animals at the table, each of whom had a look of excitement and hope in their eyes. They really wanted this, but not for themselves. They wanted it for her. She looked down at the table. This was happening way too fast.

"Only a few hours ago, I was a lone wolf running for my life," she said out loud. "Now, I'm literally up in the clouds, sitting at a heart-shaped table, sipping hot chocolate with a group of strangers. Very friendly strangers, but still strangers. But on the other hand, you're offering me a family, the one thing I've always cherished most of all. And if that weren't enough, the star I wish to every night made this all happen. Animal instinct may be telling me one thing, but my heart is telling me to say yes. And I've always been a sucker for what my heart tells me."

A cheer rose from every bear and cousin at the table as a brown bear stood up and walked toward Nika and the horse.

"Tenderheart, would you be so kind as to present Nika with her tummy symbol?"

"It would be my pleasure, Noble Heart, but we don't have a name for her yet."

A small blue paw rose from the back of the room.

"While you guys were all talking before, Hugs and I said hello to Nika." Baby Tugs said. "Actually, we didn't even say hello. We were kinda rude and asked a bunch of mean questions. But Grams Bear said that Nika was really nice when she answered us. I think she called it 'patience'. So Hugs and I think we should call her Patient Heart!"

Noble Heart, Tenderheart, and Nika all smiled at Tugs. Turning toward Nika, Noble Heart said, "So, what do you think? Does 'Patient Heart' suit you?"

Nika laughed. "It's what I've always been known for."

"Then let's make that tummy symbol!" Said Tenderheart, warming up his symbol. A red heart came from his tummy, and landed on Nika's tummy. A second later, the heart faded, and a new symbol remained—a red heart-shaped timer.

Noble Heart smiled brightly at his newest cousin. "Care Bears, and Care Bear Cousins, I give you the newest member of our family, Patient Heart Wolf!"

Although everybody applauded, it was a little blue floppy—eared dog that cheered loudest of all.


	4. A new family, a new enemy

Sorry this one's so short, guys. Sacrifices must be made, and a good cliffhanger is better than a long chapter!

Chapter 3: Her New Family

No Heart turned away from his cauldron, grumbling angrily. He had been watching the Care Bears for ages, suffering through each nausea-inducing moment. Every hug, every loving word, every party so saccharine it made your teeth hurt, No Heart had endured in his attempt to find a way to destroy the Care Bears. However, tonight he was granted a rather unwanted reprieve. No Heart peered once more into his cauldron, and saw the same thing he had seen the last ten times—a complete whiteout, courtesy of the storm down on earth.

_Why hasn't that bumbling fool Beastly returned yet? _He wondered. While the average person might have been concerned for their assistant's safety, No Heart merely wanted news of Beastly's success, or, as was more often the case, his failure. He again peered into the cauldron, straining to find a break in the blizzard. It was then that he heard the all-too-familiar squeak of a pedal-powered helicopter. The sound stopped outside the door, and in strolled Beastly--cold, soaked, but strutting as proudly as a furry little evil minion could. "Mission accomplished, boss!" He said, puffing out his chest.

No Heart turned, half-shocked that Beastly had actually done something right. "You did everything I commanded? You hunted down all the wolves?"

"That's right, No Heart! I got rid of 'em all!"

No Heart grinned. "Finally, revenge for what happened so many years ago…"

* * *

Back in the Forest of Feelings, a floppy-eared blue dog was walking a cloud-white wolf to her new home. "Here it is," Loyal Heart said, stopping at the door. "It may not compare to what you had down on Earth, but it's a start at least. And if you ever need anything, I'm right across the way there."

Patient Heart pretended to thoroughly analyze the house. "Well, I have to say it's a far cry from the tree stump you and Grumpy found me under, but I suppose it will do." Embracing Loyal Heart, she held him for quite a few moments. "Thanks, Floppy. For everything."

Embarrassed, Loyal Heart hadn't even noticed his new nickname. The dog blushed so brightly that it showed through his blue fur. "Um…You're welcome, Lady Patient Heart." Was all he could utter.

As the doggiggled euphoricallyback to his house, the wolf stepped into hers. Although the house was small, it was indeed palatial compared to anything else she had slept in or under. The living room was the first she entered upon opening the front door. Somehow the others had already furnished it before she arrived. In the first room, there was a small couch, a coffee table, a desk, and a bookcase with several books inside. Attached to the bookcase was a small note.

_Dear Patient Heart,_

_Hope this house works out for you. If you need anything else, just ask!_

_Love, _

_Your family_

Patient stared at the note, tears forming in her dark blue eyes. "I guess they really do want me to stay." After re-reading the note several times, she decided to tour the house further. However, as she put the note on the table, she heard a faint boom in the distance, and the clouds began to shake. Rushing to the door, she met Loyal Heart on the front porch.

"We gotta go, Patient! No Heart's in Care-a-Lot!

* * *

Even before his feet touched cloud, No Heart began his assault. Buildings crumbled and fire raged as the wizard attempted to shout above the chorus of explosions. "Finally, I have won!" he announced. As he advanced toward the Hall of Hearts, a small group of Care Bears stood in his way and began to stare. "Give it everything, Care Bears!" cried Tenderheart Bear. "We can't let him get any further!"

"You must be joking." No Heart laughed. "At this point, your entire family could stare me, and I'd barely notice!"

As the wizard raised his hand for another attack, he did notice something out of the corner of his eye. A white flash. It was only for a second though, before his whole world went red, and then black.

The stare stopped abruptly as the group of bears also saw the white flash make contact with No Heart and send him flying to the ground. "What in the world was that?" Asked Share Bear.

Although it only took a second for him to get back to his feet, his head was still ringing considerably. _That couldn't have been a Care Bear, _he thought. _They would never dream of actually striking anyone! _Eyes still shut in pain, No Heart bellowed. "Whoever just did that…will be the first and most violent casualty!"

As he opened his eyes however, any violent thoughts were replaced by those of disbelief when he saw who the culprit was—a miniature, cloud white, very ticked-off wolf.

Eyes narrowed, teeth bared, and a low growl coming from deep within her, Patient Heart Wolf stood among a group of Bears and Cousins just as shocked at the attack as No Heart was.

"Patient Heart!" Yelled Share Bear. "What in Care-a-Lot are you doing?"

It wasn't that Patient Heart was ignoring her. It was just that to the wolf, at that moment, getting rid of the threat to her family was the only thing that mattered.

"Touch another Bear or building, and we'll see who the casualty is, buddy!"


	5. Beastly's Mistake

Chapter Four: Beastly's Mistake

"But how is this possible?" No Heart demanded. "All the white wolves have been exterminated!"

"Ah, So it's you who's responsible for my family's death." Patient Heart said. The boundless patience that had inspired her name gave a calm to her voice that was eerily unnatural for this situation. "Well, I suppose since I'm the last one, I'm a pretty big target, aren't I?"

"Yes. I suppose you are." With that, he raised a hand toward her.

While the battle raged and the advantage shifted back and forth, the rest of the Care Bears stood dumbstruck.

"Is that Patient Heart?"

"Didn't she just get here?"

"What is she doing fighting No Heart alone?"

"Oh my gosh, she's actually _hitting _him!"

No Heart began to level his hand to cast a killing spell. However, before he could even recite the words to release it, he was on his back, with Patient Heart standing on his chest.

"You killed my family, wizard." She growled. "But I'm not gonna retaliate. I won't hurt a defenseless creature, no matter what they've done to me. But if you come to Care-a-Lot again, or attack my new family, I won't consider you so defenseless. Got it?"

No Heart slowly got to his feet. "It appears I was ill prepared for a battle today. Rest assured, however, that when I return, I _will _destroy this place. And as for you"—he pointed to Patient Heart—"I _will _finish what I started!" With that, he conjured up a tornado and vanished.

"Well, I guess that's that." Patient Heart said. "Now get over here guys, I wanna thank you for that house you gave me!"

But no one dared go near her. Gentle Heart hid behind Bright Heart. Grumpy held Swift Heart a bit tighter in his arms. The terrified cries of two cubs could be heard behind a very concerned Grams Bear. Anyone she managed to make eye contact with gave her a look of surprise, anger, or fear. "Perhaps you should give us a minute, dear." Said Grams.

"Yeah, sure, I guess so." Patient Heart said. Hurt and confused, she turned and walked away from the Care Bears.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: The Wolf and the Wizard

By the time No Heart returned to his castle, he was furious. It was bad enough he had been beaten by those deceptively saccharine Care Bears again, but this time, they had a new member. And of all things, it was a white wolf.

"Beastly!" He roared. "Come here at once!"

The little brown imp, still basking in his own glory, strutted in as proudly as a miniature evil henchman can strut. "You called, Boss?"

"Do you remember why I sent you down to earth a few days ago?"

"Sure I do! To get rid of all those wolves!"

"And how successful do you believe you were?"

"Well…I couldn't find them, but the shadows possessed some human, and he was blasting away at the last one when I left."

"I suppose it would surprise you then, to know that "last one" escaped, and is now another meddlesome Care Bear!"

"But how?" Beastly asked, finally realizing the trouble he was in.

"If you had remained there as I ordered, you would have noticed her hiding under a fallen tree."

"B-but No Heart! You had me fly into the middle of a Minnesota blizzard! How do I find one white wolf in a snowstorm?"

"The Human managed to find her. Even the Care Bears managed to find her and rescue her."

Realizing he had not only lost the argument, but also another chance to capture a Care Bear, Beastly looked up at his master with a blank stare. He knew the wizard was right, but had no idea on what to do about it.

"Every task I send you on, whether it's a mission to destroy the Care Bears, or a simple trip to the grocery store, you manage to fail somehow. Every time, I get nothing but excuses!"

While No Heart was berating Beastly, the furry little minion was fuming. _Listen to this jerk. He couldn't have found that wolf any sooner than I did. He just sends me out there so he has someone to blame when those Care Bears come and mess things up. _

Reluctantly, he turned his attention back to No Heart just as the wizard was finishing. "…Now leave my sight, Beastly, until I find an appropriate punishment for your latest failure."

Turning away from his master, Beastly muttered under his breath. "Even you can't defeat the Care Bears, you idiot. You've tried more often than I have."

No Heart spun back toward his minion. "That," he fumed, "was the wrong thing to say."

Seeing the look in No Heart's eyes, Beastly squeaked in terror. However, before he could scamper away, No Heart grabbed him by his filthy brown fur and stormed up to the Thunder Pit room. "I believe I've already found the perfect punishment for you, Beastly."

Beastly already knew what No Heart had in mind. "No Heart, you wouldn't!"

No Heart pulled him up until they were nose to nose. "Look me in the eyes, Beastly, and tell me I wouldn't."

Beastly panicked. He fought, pleaded, begged, and bargained, but to no avail. Furious, frustrated, and defeated, No Heart hurled Beastly into the Thunder Pit.

* * *

Loyal Heart Dog couldn't understand it.

Here he was, standing at the edge of Patient Heart's yard, searching longingly for a sign of her in the windows. He wanted desperately to see her, if only to simply say hello. However, whenever he attempted to step towards the door, his feet seemed glued to the clouds. _I'm a best friend to everyone here. __Why am I so nervous around her? _

Suddenly he heard a rustle in the bushes to his right. Brushing aside the heart-shaped leaves, he found a long tail connected to an orange body. "Playful Heart!" He yelled, causing the monkey to rocket out of the bushes in surprise. "What in Care-a-Lot are you doing in there?"

Playful Heart blushed bright red in embarrassment. "Would you believe I was trimming these bushes…from the inside?"

The look on Loyal Heart's face warned her not to continue the charade.

"Okay, okay." Playful Heart surrendered. "I don't know if you've noticed, but ever since Patient Heart attacked No Heart from out of nowhere, everybody's kinda nervous around her. Nobody else is quite so…physical, I guess you could say."

"And you wanted to be the first eyewitness to her 'evil' home activities."

"No, no, Loyal, I didn't mean—"

"That's okay, Playful Heart, no need to explain. You'll be quite relieved to know she's not in there. I've been keeping my eye on her to make sure she's alright…or at least, I've been trying to keep my eye on her."

Embarrassed and ashamed, Playful Heart couldn't look Loyal in the eye. "I'm sorry, Loyal Heart. You're right; I shouldn't even be over here. So, any idea where she is?"

Loyal Heart scratched his head thoughtfully. "Were I her, I'd want to be in the most unpopulated spot in the Forest of Feelings right now." A few seconds later, his eyes lit up as he realized where she was. "I'll be back in a minute, Playful. In the meantime, would you kindly do me a small favor?"

"Sure Loyal, anything!"

"Get out of Patient Heart's bushes!"

* * *

He found her by the river, exactly where he thought she would be. She sat by the edge, half-heartedly throwing sticks into the passing water. As he approached, Patient Heart was the first to speak. "I did the right thing the other day, didn't I?"

Loyal Heart stopped. "What do you mean?"

"The other day, when I fought No Heart."

"Of course you did. No Heart would have captured all of us had you not been there!"

"So why is everyone treating me like the plague?"

_This is where it gets tricky. _"Well," he said, "we Care Bears and Cousins tend not to…you know…get…rough, even with our adversaries."

"Even when they get rough with you?"

"Well No Heart usually isn't as physicallyviolent as he was the other day. Personally, I don't think we would have won had you not changed the tactics."

"I wish everyone else shared your opinion." Patient Heart sighed. "Did you see everyone's expression afterward? And the cubs! They're terrified of me now!"

"But you saved their lives, Patient. It'll be quite a bit easier for them to forgive someone if they're still around to do it."

"If they forgive me at all."

Loyal Heart walked the rest of the way to where she was standing and hugged her tightly. "We're Care Bears, Lady Patient. How can we not forgive someone whose job it is to forgive us?"

Patient Heart allowed herself a glimmer of a smile. She hadn't let herself use that term yet. _I_ am _a Care Bear, aren't I? _

Standing up, she returned Loyal Heart's embrace. "You're right, Floppy." She said, a renewed strength in her voice. And if my family is having a hard time with forgiveness, then it appears I have a job to do."


	7. Chapter 7

_Yeah, I know it took awhile. I'm terrible at dramatic endings. Hope everyone likes it! _

Chapter Six: No Heart's Secret

When the Cousins arrived back in Care-a-Lot, it looked like an absolute wreck. Houses burned, bridges crumbled, and debris was scattered everywhere.

"It looks like a tornado came through here!" Said Patient Heart.

"Yes, of the large, purple variety." Growled Loyal. "No Heart must be seeking revenge for the black eye you gave him earlier."

"Well, he's gonna get a lot more than that once we find everybody. By the way, where is everybody?"

Loyal looked down the empty streets. "No Heart must have them. You and I must rescue them!"

"Now hold on there, Floppy." Patient yelled out, prompting Loyal to stop in his tracks. "Old No Heart's gonna be waiting for us. Lucky for us, I know what he wants more than the others."

"What's that?"

"Me."

Miles away, ear-splitting claps of thunder mixed with the maniacal laughter of a triumphant dark wizard. No Heart's spirit floated between the cages holding the vast majority of the Care Bear Family. "Do you vile creatures have any idea how long I've waited for this?"

If looks could kill, the thirty pairs of eyes glaring at him would have dropped him instantly. "Don't be so arrogant!" Said a voice from a cage in the corner. "Loyal Heart will get us out of here!"

"Oh? And what about your new cousin? The wolf?"

"Um…yeah, her too!"

Back in his throne room, No Heart laughed softly. "Oh, I think not, Care Bears. I know you sent her away after she attacked me. I know you crushed her feelings. To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you! She would be stubborn and foolish to come here after the reception you gave her!"

"I guess it's a good thing I'm just so darn stubborn, isn't it?"

No Heart spun around towards the window. There she was, silhouetted against the lightning outside. As she jumped from the window and landed on the stone floor, the thunder boomed, making her already intimidating entrance seem a hundred times more so. She walked slowly toward the sorcerer, those narrowed deep blue eyes never leaving his. She spoke softly, in the same eerily calm, patient voice that seemed more unnerving at this moment than any amount of yelling or screaming could have seemed. "Let them go, No Heart. Now."

Sprinting down the dark hallways of the castle, Loyal Heart raced toward the room he was sure the others were in. _I've got to find the others soon._ He thought. _Before Patient Heart goes feral again! _Flinging open door after door, he soon found the large makeshift dungeon, complete with several caged care bears arranged neatly in the corner. Thirty pairs of eyes went from a look of panic and despair to relief and happiness. "Loyal Heart!" The room cheered.

"No time for salutations and gratitude, I'm afraid." Interrupted Loyal Heart as he unlocked each cage door. "We've got to get back to Lady Patient!"

Tenderheart Bear was dusting himself off when he heard the feared name. "You brought Patient Heart here? You saw what she did to No Heart! What's to say she won't do that to--?"

Loyal Heart was in his face before he could finish his sentence. Through gritted teeth, he spoke as calmly and mannered as he could manage. "In case you weren't watching, Tenderheart, No Heart was about to obliterate dear Funshine, Friend, Secret and Treat Heart when Patient Heart intervened. She didn't even know how to use her stare—a lesson you were supposed to schedule, were you not? She showed true bravery and loyalty to you bears and cousins, and was rewarded with fear and mistrust. What does that say about you? And to top it all off, not only has she forgiven you, she's upstairs right now, facing No Heart alone in an attempt to give me time to rescue you. What does that say about her!"

The downcast eyes and mumbled words of agreement proved the effectiveness of Loyal Heart's guilt trip. Satisfied of the response, he turned toward the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, a certain family member may need my help."

"Wait!" Loyal Heart stopped and looked over his shoulder. Tenderheart and the others stood right behind him. "Loyal Heart's right, guys. Come on, we have a cousin to save!"

No Heart glared at Patient Heart, pure hatred filling his very soul almost to overflowing. "The last of the white wolves, right here in my very throne room." He snarled the words as a rabid dog would have, making the otherwise normal greeting seem threatening just by tone of voice. "You've saved me the trouble of leaving the castle to kill you."

"Was it not enough to destroy my first family?" Her normally steady voice finally began to waver as she spoke. "You find it necessary to destroy this one too?"

No Heart chuckled softly. "Loosing our patience already, are we? You certainly aren't living up to your name, Patient Heart."

"I've already told you what would happen if you hurt my family again. Even my patience has limits."

"Yes, now that I see the one thing that triggers a response in you, I'll have to hurt them more often!"

She couldn't hold it in any longer. All the emotions she was keeping down—love, fear, _rage_—were released in a primal roar that shook the very room itself. "You'll do no such thing!" she yelled at the wizard. She charged at him, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, a wild animal determined to protect her family.

"A beast like you should be kept in its cage!" A sweep of his hand, and an iron cage materialized all around Patient Heart. She skidded to a halt inches before crashing into the bars.

"Let me out of here!" She demanded. "We need to finish this!"

"It's already finished my dear." He walked around the cage, bringing his face to just outside Patient Heart's reach. He stopped at the side he began on and turned his back on her. "Do you know why I had your family destroyed in the first place?"

"'Cause you're a disgusting sociopath who doesn't deserve the air he's breathing?"

"Such an attitude." He said dryly. "It's not often I hear that from a Care Bear. No wolf, I didn't destroy them simply for the sake of destroying them. This time, I actually had a motive—revenge."

"What are you talking about? We never did anything to you."

"Oh, I beg to differ." With that, No Heart pulled down his hood.

Patient Heart gasped in horror. No Heart's face was a pale mass of red scars, barely recognizable as a face at all. The skin on his face was inhuman; off white and the texture of wet clothing. It wrinkled slightly as he spoke.

"I was only a small child when a white wolf attacked me." There was no sadness, no mourning in his voice. Only a violent anger that put a slight hiss into his voice. "The doctors methods were primitive at the time. He was able to save my life, but my face was beyond repair.

I have to admit, I was one of the more handsome boys at my school, at least before that day. Afterward, no one in the entire town could stand to look at me. It was then that I decided that if they couldn't care enough to see me as a person, then I wouldn't care for them at all. It was that day that I became No Heart. All of this—my attacks on the Care Bears, the suffering and uncaring I create all over the world—I have you and your kind to blame."

Patient Heart stifled a smirk. "As saddened as I am by the loss of your rugged good looks No Heart, I can't take the blame for an another animal, who was probably defending itself at the time."

"It doesn't matter if you accept fault or not. I am the jury here." He raised a hand to Patient Heart. "And I pass judgement now." The energy ball shot from his hand, landing in front of the wolf and shrouding her behind a wall of purple light. When the light faded, Patient Heart lay on the floor, motionless. Replacing his hood, he removed the cage and picked up the wolf. "I believe I've already found the perfect punishment for you, wolf."

"Here it is!" Loyal Heart stood at the huge gray door, waiting for his fellow Care Bears to catch up. "Help me get this open!" With several grunts and squeals, the gray door slowly creaked open—to reveal a maniacally laughing No Heart. He held Patient Heart's lifeless body in one hand, shaking her as his laughter shook him. Sensing their presence, he turned, still laughing to himself. "Ah, the Care Bears." He chuckled. "Come to pay your last respects, have you?"

A collective gasp rose up from the group. "What have you done to her?" Loyal Heart demanded.

No Heart pointed a finger at the scorched cobblestones and laughed out loud. "Is it not obvious?"

"You…you abomination…" Loyal Heart growled. He took a step toward the wizard, but the others grabbed him, holding him back. He strained against them. "Please," he begged them. "I have to help her!"

"If you're hoping to revive her, dog, I don't believe there's much hope. I made sure of that."

Loyal Heart pulled harder than ever. He glared into No Heart's glowing red eyes, and felt emotions that a Care Bear should not feel-fury, anguish…and vengeance. Finally pulling himself away, he braced himself. "Countdown!" He yelled, not bothering to see if the others lined up.

"Loyal, I don't know if you're okay for—"

"Countdown!" He repeated, in a voice that no one dared protest. "Four, three, two, one…"

"Blast!" An eruption of light exploded from Patient Heart's tummy symbol, sending No Heart clear across the room. Patient Heart landed on the stone floor with a soft thump. Shocked, the family's tummy symbols stopped, and jaws dropped open in perfect unison.

"Patient Heart!" Loyal Heart exclaimed. What had only seconds before been overwhelming anger was instantly changed to overwhelming relief and happiness.

No Heart sat propped up against the wall, refusing to believe what had just hit him. "But you were…I watched it myself!"

Patient Heart slowly got to her feet, a bright supernatural glow fading from her body. "Yeah No Heart, like I'm gonna stand there and let you attack me. I may go feral sometimes, but I have yet to go stupid. I figured if I played dead, it would give me time for that blast to power up. By the way, thanks for the calling lesson, Floppy. I guess I got a little unique with my attack, though."

"You're, um, welcome, Lady Patient." Loyal Heart still couldn't believe that Patient Heart was alive.

Patient Heart turned back to No Heart. "It's funny what people won't notice when they're in a hurry. So worried about revenge for your precious face that you didn't even notice I was glowing. Maybe you'd better look harder the next time you're sure you've destroyed one of us."

"You miserable, loathsome creature." No Heart snarled. He raised his arm, a swirling purple mist surrounding it and a glowing purple ball of energy forming in his hand. How dare you speak down to me—"

"Call!" The combined strength of thirty stares and calls struck the wizard square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him in a crumpled' unconscious heap on the floor. Patient Heart spun around. Loyal Heart stood at the front of the Care Bear Family, magic still floating away from his tummy symbol in tiny points of light. His expression was intense, his focus remaining firmly attached to No Heart, ready for any surprise resurrection.

His expression softened however, when Patient Heart ran up and trapped him in a hug that threatened to take the air out of him, too. Snapping back into reality, he returned the embrace. "I'm so glad you're alright!"

Tenderheart Bear stepped up as an family of blushing faces looked down at the ground. "We want to apologize for the way we treated you, Patient Heart. You've always been one of us. We just didn't realize it until just now."

"Already forgiven." Patient Heart replied happily, hugging Tenderheart until he too was gasping. "That's my job after all, right?"


End file.
